Trolls
History The Trolls are an ancient kith, the living spirit of mountains, beloved to Danu herself. They were to be the protectors of creation with a special Code of Honor to follow. Some of them believe that they were equal to the Sidhe in the eyes of the Tuatha de Danaan before the Sundering. The trolls had no single land of origin, filling the mountains of every land with their halls. There were no kings among the Fae before there were kings among humans. One quickly reflected in the other. The allegiances and obligations of the trolls to the Tuatha de Daanan were strong, but they did not serve the sidhe until there was a long war between them during the Age of Legends. Finally, a reune was called by the leadership of both sides and some of the Tuatha de Danaan bore witness. The first version of the Escheat came about as part of this. Some of the trolls went with the sidhe through Silver's Gate but many stayed behind to try for the sake of the other kiths. Embracing the Changeling Way was a difficult decision and a number of Trolls rejected it, becoming lost instead. They took to farming, herding and hunting, serving as scouts, soldiers and caravan guards- any occupation that kept them from the anathema of human cities. Swearing oaths of fealty to human nobles was for some a painful but necessary solution to replace the sense of duty stolen by the Shattering. In Cymru, many of the ancient sidhe freeholds fell into possession of the trolls, especially those who had joined House Scathach. They established themselves as burgess nobility and bringing better stability to the region. The urban sprawl of the early 20th century was less intrusive here but the heavy mining and development of factories pulled the trolls closer to the cities. Code of Dadga *Protect The Dreaming *Respect Those of Higher Station *Never Abuse Your Strength *Accept an Honorable Surrender After The Resurgence The Trolls were cautious about the return of the sidhe. They were not suprised that the sidhe expected to return to power and resistant to seeing that happen but there were old oaths still in play. However, the Beltaine Massacre cost the Trolls some of their beloved leaders. Immediately others emerged to become some of the greatest generals of the commoner forces in Cymru. The Treaty of Accord brought armed conflict to an end. Not all of the freeholds in the hands of the trolls were restored to the sidhe, especially in Powys and the Snowdonia area of Gwynedd. King Kendall agreed to honor all titles acquired by the troll burgess nobility during the Interregnum. Currently, trolls are the only kith besides the sidhe to have a strong influence in the Court of Dragons. The Troll Lifestyle Trolls are blueskinned giants in their Fae mein and tend to be tall, big-boned in their human seeming. They can be born to any ethnicity. Trolls pride themselves for being honest, honorable and courageous. They invest themselves deeply into tradition and love, sometimes with dangerous intensity. They are prestigious and feared warriors. Many trolls become knights or possess minor holdings either in their own name or as part of a sidhe house. Duty and honor are ingrained into all trolls regardless of affiliation to the Seelie or Unseelie Court. They are paradoxically the sidhe's greatest asset and their only potential political rival among the earthbound kithain. Painstakingly formal, trolls excell in battle but not intruige. They demand the opportunity to fight opposing trolls to single combat at the start of warfare. This is especially true when friends or family members find themselves on opposing sides of the field. Troll Governance Freeholds with a troll majority are called lodges and have a clannish, tribal feel to them. They have three fellowships: the Hearth, the Storm and the Mountain. The Fellowship of the Hearth handles the normal domestic affairs of the lodge. The Fellowship of the Storm contains the lodge's military and engineers. The Fellowship of the Mountain are the lodge's healers, historians and mystics. Titles are not considered hereditary among trolls. Rulership is tied strongly to performance and responsibility. The troll nobles might have personal roots in any of the three lodges; the tripartite leadership of them has the power to remove an ineffective noble. Family and marriage within the lodges are considered exceptionally important; adoption by one of higher rank is considered a great honor. Family is viewed as a private and more meaningful set of relationships with the same need for fidelity as nobility and vassalage. Within commoner troll lodges, the ruler is called chieftan and obtained through a variety of means most notably popular decree after earning the respect of all the fellowships. Seelie vs Unseelie For the Summer Court, oaths are a duty and a priviledge. Death before Dishonor is taken very literally, atonement an acceptable alternative in order to save the lives and honor of others. For the Unseelie, the ability to successful honor oaths is seen as a measure of strength and personal might. They are more impulsive, violent and selfish than their Seelie counterparts but only relatively so. Unseelie trolls do not take oaths that are not in their own best interests and are more liberal in how they interpret the Code of Dagda. Affinity Fae Birthrights *Titan's Power- Wilders gain an additional dot of Strength during creation, even if this raises the trait above 5; Grumps gain two. Wilders gain an additional bruised health level; Grumps gain two. Grumps have a +1 difficulty to all Dexterity-based rolls, however. This birthright does not function in the presence of mortals or the unenchanted unless the troll calls upon the Wyrd. *Stubborness- Trolls get +2 dice to any willpower roll being made to resist temptation or distract. No troll can botch an Athletics or Alertness roll. This birthright is always in effect. Frailties *Bond of Duty- Any troll who breaks a sworn contract or oath becomes weak and loses their birthrights until their honor is regained through atonement and fulfilling a new oath. go to the Main Changeling Page or go to the Kiths of Gwent page.